A Will To Live
by BeniKaze
Summary: I've seen Homeworld, I've seen the diamonds, I've watched war overtake an entire planet. My brothers and sisters did what we had to so the Earth, our home, would thrive as it should. Now, it's time I see some old faces and teach the new generation what it means to protect something you truly hold dear. Naruto x Lapis
1. Chapter 1

**So, first time writing about Steven Universe and Naruto, or just Steven Universe. Love both shows and I found, to me, the perfect reveal point for Naruto to pop in. Word of the wise, Naruto is strong but he's no god. Just saying it now before someone tells me he's OP in the one chapter I've written.**

Chapter 1

Many people believed the Crystal Gems won simply by the power the held. The diversity between them all and the leadership of Rose allowed for a winning team. However, that was far from the truth. What no one spoke of, or wished to remember, were the nine beings who truly shaped the war. They were a ruthless group of created humans. Before the war, there were nine demons who trumped all power throughout the galaxy. Each had been sealed by all four diamonds eons ago because they were not compatible to exist within any being known to the galaxy.

Until Earth. Until the humans, beings who adapted to any kind of change at an exceptional rate. The diamonds moved quickly to find nine humans and seal each of the beasts inside of them but after that nothing went as planned. The nine human sacrifices rebelled, slaughtering their handler, Pink Diamond, and siding with the Crystal Gems. After that, the war began. Rose commanded her army and the nine moved on their own accord with their own rules. After the war was over, they disappeared and no one went looking for them. Rose had ordered it so, for even she feared bothering such powerful beings.

Now, thousands of years later and nothing changed. The remaining Crystal Gems had all but forgotten the nine warriors of earth. Until one day, they returned.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"She'll need a lot of rest so let's leave her be" said Garnet to Steven, walking out of the barn and back into the almost setting sun.

"Do you think she'll want to stay?" asked the young boy.

"Probably not" butted in Peridot who got elbowed by Amethyst.

"She may…or may not. It's her choice Steven but she won't go to homeworld again" said Pearl in an attempt to cheer up the boy.

"She'll stay, my little water bearer will enjoy this ever changing world too much" said a new voice from behind them. Garnet reacted first, shoving Steven behind her as her gauntlets appeared. Pearl and Amethyst were quickly at her sides, weapons at the ready as Peridot rushed behind the towering Garnet. They expected a new gem of some sort, someone that was able to elude their senses and Garnet's future vision but what looked at them was a human. A tall one at that, towering over most humans at 6'1", his blonde hair flowed in the soft breeze along with his clothes. He had a simple burnt orange t-shirt, a thin black leather jacket, dark blue jeans and dark brown cowboy boots. What made every gem present, minus Steven, freeze in fear was the headband wrapped loosely around his neck. A small kanji was engraved in the worn metal which read "Shinobi."

"W-…what are y-you doing here?" stuttered Pearl. She was absolutely terrified of what was happening. This….this man, or was he?, was terrifyingly powerful. Rose herself feared these nine beings, knowing not to interfere or anger any of them and told her army the same. Pearl once witnessed the power of one during a mission gone bad. Her and a small battalion of gems were ambushed by hundreds of Quartz gems on a war path. Then, a long blonde haired woman appeared in front of her group. She smiled back at them and told them everything would be fine before lighting miles of plains ablaze in blue fire then disappeared. What scared Pearl the most was when she learned that woman was an eighth of the power of the strongest. The man before her she only saw images of, he was a monster in battle. He was their strongest member, and the leader of the small group.

"I'm here to see to it this little gem gets taken care of properly by someone she knows better than you all. Someone she doesn't resent or hold any form of anger of" said the man, his hands never leaving his pockets.

"Why would you care about some homeworld gem!?" shouted Amethyst.

"She shows promise, the promise to be unique in her own right. She strives to be someone great and I wish to see her blossom. That was my intention until she was stolen from me thousands of years ago when she was mistaken for a homeworld gem during a battle I was not in. I wanted to reach out but I had promised Rose we would keep contact to a minimum so I decided to wait until things died down before retrieving her. Now was the perfect time. Is there anything else you wish to ask me children?"

"Wait, if your human wouldn't you be younger than them?" asked Steven, poking his head out from behind Garnet.

Naruto smiled "And who might you be?" Steven stepped out and gave a smile back to the strange blonde.

"I'm Steven Universe, a member of the Crystal Gems! Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and to answer your previous question I am. However, their power compared to mine is that of a child to an adult in strength. So I call most of them children. I think I'll ask a question now. What gem do you carry?"

"My moms! Rose Quartz!" said Steven, lifting up his shirt to show the gem on his belly button.

Naruto's smile brighten and he rubbed his hair "Well, I'm glad everything with her worked like she spoke of all those centuries ago." Throughout the conversation the sun set and night had taken over.

"Are you going to stay?" asked Garnet, steeling her resolve and speaking as normally as she could to him.

"For now, until I need to leave or Lapis chooses to. Goodbye" and with that Naruto turned around before heading into the barn. Steven moved to go after but Garnet held him back and shook her head.

"We need to go, we'll speak to him later."

At the house

"I can't believe he's here!" shouted Pearl.

"This is bad! Really really bad" said Amethyst.

"We need to figure out what he wants besides Lapis. There's got to be more than her he's here for" said Garnet.

"Who…..is he?" asked Steven, reminding the other gems he was in the room with them. Pearl and Amethyst looked to Garnet, she would explain what needed to be said better than they could.

"That man, is a human from times before the war. He, along with nine others, were chosen by the diamonds to be containers to the universes strongest known beings because of the adaptability of humans. These nine allowed for us to win the war, they alone held their own battles and tipped the scale quickly. However, as soon as the war was over they disappeared from anyone's radar. He's the first one to contact us in thousands of years."

"I honestly thought they died out after the war but it seems one survived…..but if there others…."

"If they wanted to take over, one would be enough to end the world. They apparently chose to live amongst the populace and enjoy life as we are. For now, no one is to bother him until he contacts us. I don't want any incidents, ok Steven?" asked Garnet and he nodded his head.

"Good, now let's figure out where Jasper may be laid up."

The next day

"HOW DARE YOU COME BACK!" shouted a voice before a loud crash echoed in front of the house. Steven, Connie and the gems ran outside to see Naruto standing on water almost a quarter of a mile from shore. No less than a second later Lapis slammed down on the water, her wings already prominent as she faced off against the blond.

"I couldn't get you during the war, you knew the pact we had. If I even stepped foot near them they would retaliate and no gem would survive our onslaught" said Naruto, keeping a clam facade.

"You liar! You could have but you just didn't try hard enough!" shouted Lapis before she began her attack. Spikes of water shot out at the blond who easily dodges them by jumping high into the air but once he did Lapis summoned a water hand right after him.

Naruto frowned "I didn't think being dormant so long would wreak so much havoc on your skills" said Naruto before he let his own fist collide with the water one, dispersing it before he landed and took off after her.

"NO! Don't come any closer!" shouted Lapis, sending any kind of wave, hand, or object her troubled mind could form as the blond dodged through them all with ease. Just as he got within a few dozen feet Lapis summoned a wall of water to separate them and Naruto disappeared. The next thing Lapis knew she was face first in his chest as he hugged her tightly.

"I know I could have but my brothers and sisters had battles across the globe. They needed a leader to guide them, to keep everyone in line and keep the group together. I truly wanted to get you back but during a war was not the best time. I wanted to go find you after but Rose had asked I destroy any working kindergarden equipment and eradicate anything else to do them. Then…..the group separated and I had to keep tabs on everyone to make sure nothing got out of hand. It was a long, lonely time for me. No one was at my side…..but I apologize for not being at yours. I'm not letting you go again." Throughout the speech Lapis already began to weep but it was silent, no one heard it that far from shore. Slowly, her crying died and Naruto realized she had fallen asleep.

"Poor girl, she's still exhausted from the fusion" said the blond, picking her up and walking to shore.

"She just had to vent, I'll take her back."

"Is she going to be ok?" asked Steven.

"She will, after plenty of rest."

"When she's better we've gotta go show you the city! I know you'll love it!" Naruto smiled _'He truly is a kind spirit. Just like his mother wanted him to be.'_

"I'll hold you to that" said the tall man, walking past them and up towards the barn. What surprised him was seeing the Peridot from earlier putting a mattress down where the hay used to be for Lapis.

"I figured she'd like this better, I know I did."

"She will, thank you" said Naruto as she placed her down on the mat before tossing a cover over her.

"May I speak with you outside?" asked Peridot and Naruto nodded his head. He walked outside the barn and to the edge of the cliff.

"Do you know what homework thinks of you and your group?" asked the gem but got silence as her answer.

"They fear you more than anything else, even the diamonds seemed distressed with the thought of even one of you being alive. They had hoped you had all died with time, like all humans."

"I know this. What's your point?"

"I…..just don't see the reason to think your bad like those other short minded gems. You protected your home just as a homeworld gem would their own. I respect that. I just wanted to let you know" and as soon as she finished she jumped down the cliff side and walked back into the house below.

"Peridot's are such strange beings but good companions to have" said Naruto, walking back into the barn and sitting against one of the pillars where Lapis slept.

"Let's hope things stay as they are for a while. The cluster won't stay occupied forever" said Naruto to himself before he let sleep overcome him.

 **Boom. First chapter done. No idea what I did, and no idea if it's any good so you've gotta tell me. Yes, there's gonna be plot holes but because I haven't explained everything at this moment. I want to slowly push information through about the nine, and delve into the happenings of earth itself. I won't stick solid with canon, I will break away a bit when they venture out of beach city and beyond. Review so kindly and take care!**


	2. Chapter 2

**FIRST NOTE! I WROTE THE MOTORCYCLE PIECE OF THE CHAPTER BEFORE THAT EPISODE CAME ON! I AM NOT BANDWAGONNING! My grandfather and I are avid motorcycle riders and I decided to give Naruto the bike my grandfather had recently gotten, a bike I really love.**

 **I will apologize for the lateness but I am not apologizing for lack of action. This is more of a filler, getting information in, seeing how characters react with one another now and moving the story along. I am sorry it's short and lacks any action but next chapter will make up for it with who I will be bringing in. Final note. STOP ASKING WHY I HAVEN'T UPDATED! I have things to do and it takes me a long time to write a new crossover I've never done! On with the story!**

Chapter 2

Lapis groaned as she got up and stretched out a bit.

' _This is too comfortable to be that straw stuff'_ thought the gem, opening her eyes slightly see white fabric. With her curiosity peaked and her awakened state she sat up, rubbing her eye, taking in that she was now on an odd mat of sorts. It was soft, and offered some resistance when she pushed down. She liked it but…it was still too hard for her to want to stay on any longer. The young gem stood and noticed how close the top of the barn was to her head and knew she had been placed on the second level.

"Weird, I've never even been this high up before in here. I wonder who put me here" said Lapis to herself as she walked to the edge of the second story to look down and see an odd mechanical thing sitting in the middle of the barn. Lapis jumped down and landed softly on the wood before walking around the strange object, trying to figure it out.

"It's called a motorcycle" said Steven, as he, Connie, his dad and the other gems came walking in.

"Who's is it? I'd know what kind it is!" said Greg. He had a fascination with them but he was never coordinated enough to ride one properly.

"It's a 2017 Victory Hammer S pushing around 1700cc out" said Naruto walking into the room from a side stable nearby.

"Greg Universe, love the bike" said the older man, holding his hand out.

"Naruto Uzumaki, thank you" said the blond before looking over at Connie.

"I'm Connie, Steven's friend."

"Naruto, nice to meet cha."

"What does it do?" asked Lapis, still looking at the odd machine in front of her.

"You get on it and it takes you places without having to run, or fly around. It's something human's made to get around quicker and I use it since I don't feel like running everywhere" said Naruto, walking around to where Lapis was and putting in a key. He turned it and pushed a button on one of the handles before it fired to life. All the gems present besides Garnet shifted back a little when the engine revved to life, the matte silver bike lowering to a low hum.

"Is it always so loud?" asked Pearl, not liking to raise her voice over the engine.

"Yeah, it's a lot of power being pushed out small openings so the sound carries pretty well. Its softened a bit by the long pipes but if they were cut shorter it'd be a lot louder which helps. These humans don't pay a lot of attention so loud means they can hear you even if they don't see you" said Naruto, sitting down on it and leaning it upright.

He looked to Lapis and held his hand out "Hop on the back seat, I'll show you how it works."

"I don't think I should….. I-"

"You've gotta try what you can before there's nothing left to try" said Naruto, his hand still out. Lapis hesitated but took his hand and raised her leg over the seat before putting both feet on the pegs.

"Wraps your arms around my waist or you'll fall off" said Naruto. Lapis slowly move her hands to just grab the hem of his jacket on either side.

' _Guess we'll take things slow'_ thought Naruto, revving up the bike and letting out the clutch as it slowly drove out of the barn and down the dirt path to the main road. Once he got to the street he stopped and planted both feet on the ground.

"You'll need to hold on tight because you'll fall off if I go fast. You won't get the full experience if I don't really open up the bike."

"Fine…." Said Lapis, sliding her arms to grasp each other around his waist. As soon as she had a good hold he took a left and the machine sped off much faster than she expected. They quickly left the city limits and sped through the forested area near the city. Lapis had seen the other machines humans used, those things that trapped you inside as you drove around. She hated them, it made her feel like a prisoner again but this….this was almost like flying. She looked around and saw the leaves fly by as they moved from the wind the bike made. She didn't have to worry about concentrating on flying, she just had to sit and let the air brush past her as she enjoyed the scenery. She noticed he started to slow down and took a left before stopping at the edge of a cliff side.

"Let's get out and enjoy the view here" said Naruto, letting her get off before propping the bike up on a kickstand and walking to the edge of the cliff with her. They could see the entire plain area, part of the forest and just a bit of beach city.

"This is just a small piece of this wonderful world, only a sliver of what it holds" said Naruto, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"So this is what you took me out here for? To try and make me feel less bad about being trapped here?" asked Lapis, her anger already rising.

Naruto kept his cool and spoke "I took you out here to enjoy life, and enjoy what this place has to offer. I know you came here out of curiosity, to see what this planet has. It's nothing like it was thousands of years ago. There's so much more room for opportunity, to see thousands of different aspects of human life. No one is ever the same, each one human differs in what they do or how they act. It's a wonderful place and I know you'll enjoy it as much as I have."

Lapis looked away "What makes you so sure I will?"

"Because you wanted to all those years ago and I know you still do now."

"I'm surprised you remembered…"

"Of course I did, you're the only gem, or being, I've met I truly enjoyed being around as much as I did with the nine. I never forgot you, or what you wanted to do. I promised you I'd show you the world and all it had to offer and it's about time I did."

Lapis sighed and turned to face him "If…..if I believe you…..what are we going to do?"

"I'll start with getting your confidence back up then once your good and healthy again we'll start our travels, visiting different places. You've just got to trust me, Lapis" said Naruto, turning to her and smiling.

The gem sighed then smiled "Fine fine, I guess I'll give it a try. If I don't you won't go away anyway."

"That I won't! Now, let's get going cause we've been gone for a while" said Naruto. The two got back on the bike and drove back towards beach city and as they passed through town Naruto spoke.

"We'll need to get you a new outfit pretty soon. The first step to really enjoying the human lifestyle is dressing the part" said Naruto and Lapis groaned causing him to laugh. They stayed quiet the rest of the ride until they made it back to the barn.

"Enjoy the ride?" Greg asked Lapis, trying to talk more with the new gem of the bunch. He knew Naruto wasn't fully human either but he acted more human than any other non-human he's met.

"It was very calming" said Lapis as she got off the bike and Naruto shut it off.

"Just you here?" asked Naruto, turning to Greg.

"Peridot was making something outside next to the barn but I'm not sure she was going at….." said Greg, looking wholly confused even thinking about it.

"I totally didn't pay attention that she was even out there. Let's go look" said Naruto, walking outside and seeing her little green triangle hair pointing up. He walked with Lapis and Greg behind him to a hole about twenty feet in diameter, maybe 6½ foot deep and filled with water.

"Hey guys! I knew you liked water since it's your thing and all so I had Garnet help me make this for you!" said Peridot but Lapis was far from happy.

"I trapped myself as Malachite with the weight of the entire ocean for months. Do you think I want anything to do with water?"

"Lighten up, you've gotta realize you're not that anymore. You're Lapis Lazuli, and you're one of the best water gems in existence. Take it as you can" said Naruto, already taking his boots off.

"W-what are you doing?!" shouted Lapis, thoroughly embarrassed as she watched him strip…..not that she minded but still!

"I'm taking a relaxing dip" said Naruto, taking off his shirt and pants to show he had on a pair of basketball shorts. He slowly walked into the water and sat down, leaving only his head above.

"C'mon in" said the blond to Lapis who frowned.

"I….."

"I'll go in too" said Greg, already stepping in with just his shorts on.

"Everyone else is in, gotta do it now" said Peridot and Lapis held her ground. Too bad for her, as soon as she was about to step back someone, or two someone's, tackled her from behind and shoved all three of them straight into the middle of the water. As Lapis fell in flashbacks of being stuck under water plagued her mind. She started to breathe heavy, trying to get to the top but not going anywhere but…..further down… Slowly, she began to panic and did the only thing she could think of, curly up into a ball and release her emotions. The pent of stress caused the water to ripple and bubble causing Naruto to frown.

' _She can't handle it, she's not coming back up…..dammit!'_ One second all Lapis could feel was the crushing weight of water and the next she felt arms wrap around her before picking her up.

"N-Naruto?" whispered Lapis.

"Yes, everything's alright now. I didn't think they'd push you in like that. I just wanted you to come in on your own and relax, know that the water isn't going to hurt you because you have total control. Can you stand?" asked Naruto and Lapis nodded her head before he set her down. She looked around to see everyone sitting in the hole Peridot and Garnet had made but now it was nearly twice the size in diameter.

"What happened?" asked Lapis before Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst appeared.

"Is everyone alright? We felt a spike of ener- Oh my…" said Pearl, seeing the hole much bigger with Naruto and Lapis standing in the middle.

"Lapis was having a panic attack and I couldn't move fast enough to get to her by swimming to her and wading her out. I just send a pulse of energy to send the water away and I guess I used a little too much" said Naruto, smiling sheepishly.

"That was awesome!" shouted Steven.

"I'm sorry…..I shouldn't have acted like that" said Lapis but this time Connie spoke.

"I don't know much but I do know a bit and you shouldn't blame yourself for acting like that. Most of us would do the same with something we fear most."

"She's right, now let's get everyone out so we can refill this" said Naruto, leading Lapis out as Greg helped Steven and Connie.

"I can at least refill it" said the blue haired gem, lifting her hand as a large orb of sea water came out of the ocean and landed in the hole, filling it up.

"Woo!" shouted Steven, jumping in with Connie, Amethyst right after them. Peridot shouted and dived for her tube, Greg walked back in while Garnet and Pearl went back to the house to do whatever they were doing before.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" asked Naruto as he picked his clothes up. He was already dry from when he released the energy blast so he started to put everything back on.

"Yeah…..I just need to take things slowly."

"How's about we walk to the city and go get you some clothes today? To change the mood for you."

"That's a mood killer" deadpanned the water gem.

"Too bad, it's happening!" said the blond before grabbing her hand and walking down the hill towards the town. Eventually she gave in and walked with him to one of the few clothing stores on the board walk. It had a wide variety, something Lapis needed to decide her style and see what she really liked.

"Pick out some stuff and try it on. Don't rush yourself and get what you find nice" said Naruto. Lapis walked into the women's clothing, turning her head to glare at him as he smiled and went to looking for some clothes himself. He really didn't need anything so he just looked around, letting her take her time and pick things out. She had never had to size herself so she was learning how everything fit and worked with the help of the female store owner.

An hour later

"Naruto….." asked Lapis, causing him to turn his head to face the changing room. She had on a beige crop top that said 'Bae on the Bay', a black sports bra under it, light blue jeans with some rips here and there and a pair of flat sole vans.

"That's certainly an interesting choice. Do you like it?" asked Naruto.

"I like this so I don't burn my leg on that machine again. I got a few other things too but I like this one the best."

Naruto smiled "Then let's check out and head out." For Lapis, it was rather quick. He pulled out a card, swiped and just like that everything was paid for and he walked out holding her new clothes set.

"You better wear this now" said Naruto as they walked towards the barn.

"Yeah yeah, I will tomorrow" said Lapis, waving him off just as she approached the barn and saw Steven and Peridot in the barn.

"You got earth clothes? Why?" asked Peridot as Naruto set down the bag and walked into one of the side rooms where his things were.

"If I'm going to try and get accustomed to life here, dressing the part sure would help" said Lapis.

"Then why didn't you change now?"

"I want to enjoy these clothes a little longer." Just as she did a red egg like ship suddenly appeared and a bright yellow beam shined down on Peridot, Lapis and Steven. Steven moved first, trying to run towards the house but didn't make it far when the eye targeted him. Lapis moved shortly after that, holding her arm up which summoned a hand of water from the man made pond to flick the odd red ship backwards. As the ship repositions itself Lapis brought her hand down, slapping the ship almost halfway into the ground. Almost instantly Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst appeared next to Steven, Lapis and Peridot.

"What happened?" asked Pear, examining the ship.

"It just popped up from nowhere!" shouted Steven.

"It's after me because I failed the mission!" shouted Peridot.

"Everyone, get inside the barn before they see you!" shouted Naruto before everyone rushed inside.

"What do we do about it?" asked Peridot, yelling more than speaking.

"I, we'll, we have a plan" said Garnet before she split into Sapphire and Ruby.

"What? Baseball match and if they win we give them what they want?" asked Naruto.

"Uhhhh…yeah!" shouted Ruby, going along with it and Sapphire just shrugging. That plan would work just fine too and she guess it would be a little easier to win as well. Naruto waved his hand and his attire changed to a simple uniform, along with every other gem besides Steven. Naruto's difference to the rest was his hat was tilted far down to shadow a lot of his face. Steven just happened to have a regular blue and white uniform that looked close enough to a baseball set up like everyone else's.

"Wait, if we can do this then why did you get clothes for Lapis?" asked Peridot.

"Humans can't do this, so if you want to be more the part change like a normal human instead of using your powers" said Naruto, walking outside as Lapis followed closely with Steven next to her and the others not far behind.

"Hello, strangers! What brings you here to Earth?" asked Naruto, being very straight forward in his introduction.

"We are here on a mission to find a missing person sent by our leaders. The gem name is Jasper, tall orange and white, build for battle" said one Ruby standing in front of the rest.

"Ah, well we may know where that person is but we don't take kindly to people walking up on us like that. You wouldn't like it if we just planted a ship in your yard, would you?"

Ruby seemed in deep thought before it replied "No, I would not and we apologize for that. We still need the information regardless."

"How's about a wager? You win this game called baseball against us and we tell you, lose and you leave for good." The head ruby frowned then brought the others together and they talked amongst each other before the head once again faced Naruto.

"Deal, when do we start?"

"Now" said Naruto before he tossed the ruby a ball and he pulled out a baseball bat. The gems quickly took teams, ruby's on one, and the rest on the other. It did leave their ruby with the enemy team but none of the others seemed to notice the addition. Naruto went to bat first, hitting the ball hard enough to run a double and keep his spot with Lapis up next. As she walked up she saw him pretending to hold the bat sideways so she did just that. When the ruby threw the ball it tapped the bat and Naruto took a slow jog to third as their ruby tapped Lapis out who had begun to walk to first base.

"She's not really trying" said Peridot.

"No, but she's doing better than nothing" said Steven who walked up next. Ruby threw the ball and Steven swung, knocking it out of the field.

"Home run!" shouted Steven, running the base. Naruto passed and waited for him before they walked back together as Pearl went up to bat. The next few innings between the two teams was somewhat decent, watching everyone try their best. Lapis had even begun to enjoy the game, or at least she enjoyed catching the ball when it wasn't too hard to get too. The only problem was Sapphire and Ruby, the two only flirted and Sapphire kept getting out over and over. Now, the Crystal Gems were up to bat again at the bottom of the ninth after letting the Rubies play twice due to a near fight with Lapis and a few of the rubies. Naruto was on first, Pearl on second and Lapis on third with two outs and Sapphire up to bat.

"Don't pay attention to me, focus on the ball. We've got all the time in the world" said Ruby as Sapphire came up to bat.

"I'm trying…..I just can't stop thinking about you."

"Well, if you get a homerun you can see me all you want running back" said Ruby with a smile. Sapphire smiled back and watched as the ball flew at her. Naruto watched as she tensed then swung, using all her might to send the ball flying overhead and well out of range to be caught. Steven and Peridot ran to home as their team ran towards them, hugging as they made it past. However, as Sapphire hit home she hugged Ruby and they tumbled, fusing at the same time. The Crystal Gems watched with a twitch of fear as Garnet slowly stopped laughing.

"Hahaha….haha…whoops."

"They were gems all along!" shouted the lead Ruby.

"Fuse!" shouted the ruby with a gem on its eye. The lead ruby jumped on top of another, two rubies grabbed on to her arms and the one that shouted fuse jumped on top. However, just as she did a bat connected with her head, sending her backwards and knocking the bottom ruby off balance causing them all to collapse.

"Who threw that!?" shouted the ruby who was hit with the bat.

"Sorry, I was trying to wave and it slipped. I figured you'd just wanna know some information and I'm glad to share" said Naruto, walking up to the front of group. He knew the gems could handle themselves but from the glare Lapis was giving it could get uglier than it needed to be.

"Where is the leader of the earth mission?" asked the leader of the rubies.

"Who?"

"Jasper!" shouted the one with her gem in her eye.

"Neptune!" shouted Steven from behind Naruto. Naruto kept a neutral composure as the rubies seemed to think before the darkest colored of the bunch spoke.

"Well why didn't you just say so!"

"Rubies out!" said the lead ruby, dragging the darkest ruby as all but one went towards the ship.

The ruby with the gem in her eye looked to Steven "Thank…..you." Once that was said the ruby returned to the ship before it floated and warped into space.

"You guys go on now, I'm gonna make sure they don't get there too quick and come straight back" said Naruto, staring at the sky. Garnet and pear ushered the gems into the barn where Peridot was hiding.

"What's he doing out there by himself?" Peridot asked Lapis.

"Why'd you go straight to me to ask?"

"Well…you guys are pretty close now so I just figured you would know above all else."

"Oh…..I think he's…tracking them" said Lapis, not completely sure what he was doing.

"He puts tags imbedded with his energy on things which allows him to track them no matter how far they are" said Pearl. She's seen it before a few times, watched him let a few survivors go then slaughter another group once it made it back to a base. He didn't have any scary element he could control, but he had full control over his chakra and how it was used. He was the best and he found ways to implement them into what he called 'seals'.

"Ok, they aren't turning around and seemed focus on searching all of Neptune" said Naruto, suddenly right next to Lapis and Peridot.

"Stop teleporting near us like that!" shouted Peridot, fed up with his constant jumping.

"I don't teleport, it just seems like it because I'm moving that fast" said Naruto, walking to his bike.

"He's right" said Garnet, not wanting to hear another outburst from the green gem.

"Lapis, want to take a trip for a few days? Stretch your legs?" asked Naruto.

"Uhhh…I guess?" She really wasn't sure she wanted to go but at this point, going somewhere besides the barn seemed like a better idea.

"Then use the backpack I bought you and toss some clothes in it. We're going on a trip in the next hour!"

"I wanna go!" said Steven, wanting to see what kind of cool stuff they would find together.

"Maybe next time we will" said Naruto, patting his head as he walked to the other gems.

"When I get back I'm going to start your battle tests. It's been peaceful for some time now and with all that going to come at us you need to be prepared for harder battles. I'll start with testing your skills then taking it up from there to work on weaknesses and strengthen your individual aspects. You can work as a team well and you fuse fine but if your alone and fight someone much stronger you need a plan. I'll help you with that so be prepared for when we return."

"I beg your pardon, you can-" Pearl was going to speak but Garnet put a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for coming here and keeping the pact with Rose to help us. We appreciate it" said Garnet. She didn't like the idea that much but she knew they needed all the help they could get. There wasn't much they could do at this point by themselves so whatever was given to them was taken.

"You're welcome and I'll see you all soon. Ready, Lapis?" asked Naruto, turning to see her in slightly different clothing. She kept the shirt, shorts and shoes but added black stockings that covered all of her legs and a plain blue letterman jacket that would keep her warm on the ride.

"We'll be seeing ya!" said Naruto, turning the bike on and letting Lapis on before he took off down the dirt road. Lapis waved before he hit the street and he took off down the road.

"Where are we going?" asked Lapis.

"Empire City, a friend lives there."

 **Finally, I'm done! It took so long to make this because I've had almost no free time and little to no idea's that I've really enjoyed. I'm trying to go in timeline here and not mess things up so I'm watching episodes as I write. As you can tell it's gonna be Empire City, so we're going to get a taste of OC in this story. Yes, I will touch on the episode at some point but I don't know what all I'm gonna try to do in this one. I'll do what sounds best but we will be seeing a new player soon! Who will it be?! A jinchuuriki? A new gem? I know but you don't! Haha! Take care everyone and see you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

_"I wonder, if you wonder" ~_ _Unknown_

Chapter 3

Naruto let out a slowly sigh as he stood near the bike just outside Empire city. Lapis was roaming the nearby forest, exploring as he had let her do a few dozen times on the way up. He promised her she'd be able to enjoy the drive and explore bits and pieces of the earth along their trip. He could sense her not to far from him, just a half mile east so he was at least happy she didn't go to far and get lost. It was nice no one was at this rest stop, no humans to deal with or banter on. He liked them, he was part human after all, but some were just especially stupid. They'd point out odd things and he didn't want them wondering why he had a blue woman with him. Naruto was in no mood to fight with them and explain things he had no want or need to. Then, for a split second, something crossed his senses. The sudden signature appearance made Naruto stand straight up and heighten his awareness. He was sure it wasn't just an animal, but that was all he got from the split-second notice. Then, he felt it again and this time it was much closer to Lapis than before.

"Shit" said Naruto before he disappeared.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lapis looked around quietly, taking in all the sights this world had to offer. She chose to stay in the forest this time, explore the more uncharted areas instead of just flying through them as she did the first time. Just as she was debating on going back she sensed something close to her but it was quick, almost like someone was hiding but slipped up for a second. So she turned around and looked for any kind of movement in the trees. Then, faster than she could follow Naruto was in front of her, his back to her as he faced the same way she had. He kept silent, watching the forest before he spoke to her.

"Follow me back and stay close." Lapis didn't need to respond, she only followed in step. They didn't speak a word until they had made it back to the bike without incident.

"Did you know what that was?" asked Lapis as Naruto mounted the bike and let her get on.

"No, but it's better we leave whatever it is for now. We'll talk more about it when we get to the next stop" said Naruto, starting up the bike and taking to the road once again. Lapis went back to her sightseeing, watching the trees shift to buildings as time passed. The sun had long set and the moon had replaced it once again in the sky. After another half day of riding, most of the time spent in traffic, Naruto pulled in to a large alleyway. He faced the bike at a large metal gate door before letting Lapis off and getting off himself. She watched as he walked to the left of it and pushed some keypad looking device place inside the wall. Slowly, the door to his right opened to reveal a mostly empty garage. The only thing that took up space was a small fridge, a trash can and the entire back wall was full of tool chests and parts containers all hung on the wall. Naruto pushed the bike in and motioned for Lapis to walk inside before he shut the door with a button near the door on the far wall.

"Don't be worried if someone jumps out at you. They don't mean any harm" said Naruto, leading her inside through the door. They immediately walked up a set of stairs, arriving in what looked like a kitchen to Lapis.

"It's me, Naruto. I brought a friend along so don't go attacking her." Lapis stayed relatively close to Naruto as he moved through the kitchen and towards the dining room just across from it. He didn't spare much time, shifting around the table and going up another flight of stairs to a large living room like area. There was a big couch shaped like an L at one corner, facing a TV system. Diagonal from the TV was a computer set up, an expensive looking piece with half of the wall near it littered with some kind of metal box and flashing lights Lapis had no idea what they did. Naruto took a left and faced a door before knocking. After not hearing an answer for a few seconds he opened the door and walked inside. Lapis peaked in and saw it seemed like a normal bed room, a large bed was in the middle, a mirror on the wall in front of it, a large dresser, a knight stand on the left of the bed but on the wall near the door Lapis saw something she hadn't seen before. Shining objects, chains, bands, glistening stones filled this open up box that was taller than her. It had a mirror in the center when you opened it, drawers filled the bottom with all kinds of those odd objects while the sides near the mirror and the doors were lined with bands and chains.

"Close that if you please" said a new voice from behind her, causing her to jump and quickly shut the doors before turning around to face the newcomer. At first look she was certainly human looking to Lapis. She was a little taller than herself, her dark eyes were contrasted with her light complexion. She could see her blonde hair waving behind her, put up in a ponytail, as she learned it was called from Steven. The woman had on a simple black high collar long sleeved shirt a thin navy blue jacket, dark jeans and a pair of black boots.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to be rude" said Lapis. She was usually brash in her attitude but she was still reeling from the sudden appearance of this woman. She never sensed her, or even noticed she was there until she spoke and when she did she was just inches from her. It was slowly coming to a realization that these nine were something else because no normal human could do that, and most gems couldn't either.

The woman smiled at her "No worries, I was just playing around anyways."

"Yugito, its been a while" said Naruto. The blonde quickly spun on her heels and jumped on the taller male, hugging him tightly.

"It's been a while, Naruto! Your trips have been getting longer and longer but this one was pretty short."

"I know, just went to pick up an old friend" said Naruto before he let go of her and motioned to Lapis.

"This is the gem I told you all about just as the war was ending. The one I met before she was imprisoned. Yugito, this is Lapis Lazuli. Lapis, this is Yugito Nii, the container of the two tails." Lapis was unsure of what she was until he said container of the two tails. This woman was the container of the hell cat Matatabi. She was one of the nine, the second youngest.

"Nice to finally meet you" said Yugito, smiling as she stood next to Naruto. It was then Lapis saw some kind of resemblance, the both seemed extremely similar standing next to one another as they smiled.

"Nice to meet you too" was all she said before the blonde woman walked into the living room. Naruto ushered Lapis after her before Naruto walked in as well, shutting the door to the bed room.

"So, how's work here?" asked Naruto, motioning for her to sit. She said nothing and sat down as Naruto took a seat right next to her at the end of the couch. Yugito walked to the mini fridge near the other side of the couch and rummaged around for something.

"You two want anything to drink?"

"Ginger ale for me. Have you had soda yet Lapis?"

"I never got the chance to but Steven said it tasted good even though we gems don't need it."

"Root beer it is then" said Yugito, popping open three bottles and handing Lapis and Naruto there's before sitting down on the corner of L couch.

"Works been fairly slow, not much need for burglary this time of year. I still get some decent contracts but nothing fun or exciting."

"Burglary?"

"I get paid to steal items other's want but can't get to for whatever reason. If there's a jewel someone wants I get it for them for less than whatever they'd pay to get it. Of course there are exceptions, if it's a tough grab or heavily fortified the price will be hefty but those buyers usually want it for themselves only. I do delve into assassination here and there, kill this guy who scammed my family and get the money back, take care of someone who's gonna sell out my business to buy it after it crashes and so on. I'm considered a very dangerous person throughout the underworld of humans, since I've never known to have an issue in the past fifty years. That and the not aging scares a lot of underground bosses from messing with me."

"Not aging? So you don't age anymore?" asked Lapis to her and Naruto.

"Our bodies stopped growing once we reached peak age and after that it was nothing from there. We don't age but we do bleed like any other human. Our regeneration is much better but we can still die just like a human could for the most part, unlike gems who have to be shattered" said Naruto.

"If you have so much money why don't you live somewhere nicer? Or with more land?"

"Why would I? I love it here, I love the cold weather here. It's so peaceful to me and since I don't have guests much I don't have to worry about having the space to entertain. I have my work computer with my servers and all my gears inside my room."

"So you're an underground mercenary? Is that the right word? Steven used it once in a show for some guy that did secret work."

"Simple put, yes."

"So what do you do then? How do you get money to pay for stuff?" asked Yugito, looking at Naruto.

"Mostly what she does, or I help out with her stuff. I'm her muscle when she needs it and I have a few contacts of my own. I'm usual hired as a bodyguard for high value targets that no one trusts more than myself. I've been doing my business for nearly a hundred years so most know of my immortality which is also why used for high value targets only. My price is high but they know nothing could go wrong as long as I'm there."

"Are all your family in this buisness?"

"Not really, we're the few that do it. Most have normal jobs or something else entirely" said Yugito.

"I need to work out some kinks in the bike, tune it up a bit. Haven't had the right tools for a while so I'll be downstairs if you two need me. We'll go sightseeing around the town tomorrow Lapis and get you some warmer clothes too."

"Alright" responded the gem, watching him walk off before the TV flipped on.

"He doesn't like tv too much so I usually keep it off till he leaves" said the blonde woman, laying down and turning on a show she'd seen before at Steven's house.

"That's camp…..uh pinet hurts, right?"

Yugito chuckled a bit "Close, camp pine hearts. I just started watching it. Have you seen it before.?"

Lapis shook her head "It's a good little drama show, I usually watch tv a lot when I'm not working or on the computer. Feel free to turn it on whenever and watch when your around." The gem didn't respond, she became engrossed in the images flashing by, watching things happen through the large light screen. Time passed by quickly for the two and next thing they knew it was nearly two in the morning. Yugito paused the show and yawned, sitting up before looking to the blue skinned girl.

"Say, have you seen Naruto sleep at all?"

"No, I didn't think you guys needed sleep, just like gems."

"We all need sleep, even gems after a tough battle or messed up fusion from what Naruto told me about. You need some rest, so relax on the couch and try to sleep a little. You'll feel better when you do, promise" mumbled out the woman, standing and walking to her room.

"Why did you ask if he slept? Is it bad he hasn't?" Yugito paused, halting herself from opening the door fully.

"During the war, Naruto was our sole leader. We were a messy bunch without his guidance and he knew that more than we all were willing to admit. He found a way to not need sleep, by feeding off the energy of the being inside him it stopped him from needing sleep at that time. However, he had to catch up a little at some point so after the war he slept where I lived. He rarely got up for centuries, just regaining lost sleep and letting his body rest for the first time since we left the diamonds. He's gotten into that habit of not sleeping for a few months then sleeping for a solid four days without moving. It doesn't hurt him in the long run that we know of but it takes a toll on his mental state until he rests. Relying on such dark energy racks the mind and he's learned to keep it under wraps well enough to where even I can't tell unless things get bad. Just watch over him for me, I don't want him going without sleep for so long again. It's not uncommon to go without it for a few weeks but months isn't healthy. Now you try to get some rest, you'll need it if you want to get rid of that limp you've been hiding."

Lapis said nothing as the woman walked into her room and closed the door. She wanted to know how she knew about the limp, even Naruto hadn't pointed it out but she guessed it came with taking care of Naruto for so long. The water gem sighed then got comfortable on the couch, curling up and grabbing the blanket Yugito had been using. If only she'd known what would have happened tomorrow, maybe she would have taken Yugito's words with more immediate action.

 **Short, yes but it gets across what I wanted to. Now, what's that odd energy even Naruto was unsure of? Will it appear again? Was it even hostile? What was it to begin with? You'll see soon guys, and hopefully I'll be able to update sooner but maybe not. Started an Overwatch story with Angela and Hana along with a Star Wars crossover for fun. See how things pan out, be safe and take care!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Long time no see, sorry for the lateness but more is going to be explained below my children! For now, enjoy the story and relax! Father has returned and he bears the gift of a decent storyline with minor grammar mistakes!**

' _Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience' ~ Paulo Coelho_

Chapter 4

Lapis wasn't sure what was happing at Yugito's apartment anymore. The first few days all was normal for her, she enjoyed watching Camp Pine Hearts while Naruto seemed to be doing work around the house or on his bike while Yugito was usually keeping to herself on the computer. The only time they really came together was dinner, something Lapis didn't need but apparently Naruto and Yugito did.

"So you have to eat as humans do?"

"Mostly, it's a complicated situation really. We can stay dormant for years and never really need any intake of nutrition but once we wake up and move the energy we use can't sustain us anymore. Our body can lie around forever since it seems that the energy seems to put us in a stasis while we sleep. That's where the tough part is, we don't need to eat as humans do in most situations. We've all gotten to a point where we only need one good meal a day to run perfectly, unless were fighting all day or training which requires extra nutrition from our body. So really, we need one meal a day on average unless were doing something strenuous" said Naruto.

"That…sounds like a hassle. I'm glad I don't have to eat like you guys."

"It's not so bad once you've lived with it for a few years. Just becomes a habit by then" said Yugito, biting into her garlic bread.

"What is this…..mess again?"

"Spaghetti with ground meat and garlic seasoned tomato sauce with some garlic toast."

"We should have more of it. It tastes good, I like the garlic a lot."

Naruto smiled "Sure thing, I'll make sure to make it more often from now on."

"Careful there, we may have another Fu on our hands. Her garlic cravings aren't a joke" said Yugito, almost shuddering at the memories. That tanned woman could down garlic in unnatural amounts so much it scared her. That, and she had a major sweet tooth too boot which was why Yugito was happy she didn't bunk with them anymore. She produced more trash in a few days then Naruto and Yugito did in a week.

"I doubt it'll get that bad" said Naruto, laughing a little and waving her off, doing his best to ignore the memories of their sister. She was an odd one, that was for sure.

"What have you been doing while you were out these past few days?" asked Yugito, trying to get him to open up about his usual movements when at home. She needed to learn and with her being Naruto's companion it was best she learn his goings as well as Yugito's own.

"Just out doing some errands, getting some parts for the bike that need to be worked on and I'm fixing up that issue with your car too. Should be good for a run tomorrow after I finish putting it all back together tonight. You girls wanna go for a short trip?" Lapis seemed interested almost immediately, she was always eager to go explore again. Curiosity brought her here, and from the little she knew there was plenty to explore and all sorts of sights to see.

"I guess, I don't have any contracts open right now so a short one should be fine but I need to get to one soon. This laying around is getting to me" responded Yugito.

"It's set then, I'll get to work on having it all up and running by morning. Get some rest you two, it's gonna be a good trip" said Naruto before he took off down stairs towards the garage.

"Eat up and relax tonight, I'll pack everything we need" said the blonde to her gem friend.

Next morning

Naruto smiled, looking at Yugito's fixed car. Her car was certainly a beauty, and pricy at that. She bought a matte navy blue Audi R8 5.2L V10 then dropped nearly $150,000 on a mix of different things from a super charger, a body kit, suspension and other additions needed to handle the power being added to the engine. The blond had went to work on adding the last bit she ordered, the super charger. Now, after piecing it all together and some routine maintenance, the car was ready for a test run.

"Perfect, came down just in time for a run" said Yugito, walking from her personal garage to the next one where she kept her car. She was wearing a simple white long sleeved shirt, tan pants and some casual shoes. Lapis had tossed on a plain grey t-shirt, a black bomber jacket with white sleeves, grey pants and some of Yugito's casual shoes.

"Nice to see you guys too, and your welcome. Just start it up and take it for a spin. I'm gonna pack and prepare some things around the house before we leave."

"Yeah yeah, will do. Let's go, Lapis" said the long haired blonde, grabbing the keys from Naruto before getting in, Lapis following suit. The gem watched the blonde, putting a key into the side of the steering wheel before turning and the engine suddenly revved to life.

"It's pretty loud, even in this cage thing" said the water gem, looking around as she talked. She played with the ac vents, moving them about and working the 6-point harness seatbelt to finally get it on.

"It's a big engine, lots of power and faster than Naruto's bike. Especially after he put something in my babies engine to make it even faster." That got the gems attention, she loved how fast the bike was and if this was even faster then she was just waiting to see it go. Yugito shifted into reverse and moved the car out of the open garage before moving to first and slowly rumbling to the end of the street and stopping.

"Strapped in good?" asked the woman and Lapis nodded.

"Good, hold on tight." The car turned down a long street set with a multitude of cars before it took off in an almost empty lane. Lapis had to hold on tightly to the seatbelt, feeling her body press against the seat as it flew past the cars next to them. She watched in fascination as Yugito weaved through traffic expertly, avoiding some cars by what seemed just a touch away. Then, as they approached a turn, Yugito jerked the wheel and pulled a lever between them before the car turn sideways and kept its turn speed with a high pitched squeal. As they faced the proper lane Yugito corrected the car to a straight path before taking off once more into the thicket of vehicles. Her hand glided a metal pole sticking up from the center, something Yugito called a shifter, which operated together with the pedal to make the car go fast and fast it went. Lapis was smiling the entire time while her new blonde friend drove around for a while before returning to the garage where Naruto was nowhere to be found, his bike now in the corner of the garage.

"I thought he said he'd be waiting for us" said the water gem, looking around as Yugito shut the car off.

"I'm sure he's inside, we weren't gone but maybe twenty minutes."

"It felt so much longer."

Yugito laughed "I'm glad you enjoyed it! Let's go find Naruto and get going. I don't want to get there in the middle of lunch rush traffic."

"Sounds horrible, we can't go fast then."

"Exactly" responded the female as they rounded the stairs and saw three packed bags waiting for them, each with their name tagged on it. As soon as they noticed the bags Naruto walked in from the other room carrying a small fourth bag and now wearing new attire. Doing away with the jeans and jacket in favor for a pair of plain orange swim shorts, flat sole shoes and an opened full button up white short sleeved shirt.

"Nice of you finally make it back. Bags are packed and everything's ready to go, computers routed to the phone and our stuff is locked up tight. So, let's get going! I'm ready for swimming!" said Naruto in excitement, grabbing the other three bags and moving them down the stairs and into the garage. However, instead of tossing the bags into the trunk of Yugito's car he walked across the street and began to input a code into that door.

"You have another car garage?" asked the gem.

"We own five here, both of these, the two next to the one we're currently in and the one on the right where Naruto is at. This way if our siblings come by they all have their own garages they share and can get into at any time. Naruto keeps his car and all his stuff there so he takes up the entire garage on that side and I take up my own with my own stuff" said Yugito, bringing her own bag. A long black case that was nearly as tall as Yugito was. Lapis wanted to ask but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak the lights to the garage came on and she saw what was inside.

"What's that? It's bigger than that other vehicle" said Lapis, walking around it while Naruto and Yugito loaded it up. She noticed the base crimson color with gold accents, tinted windows and a matching color palate for the…..tires, no, rims is what Naruto called them.

"It's a pretty new truck, bigger than Yugito's car and we bought it more for our work and less of a toy like our current ones. It's made to withstand quite a few hits actually" said Naruto, closing the tailgate and rolling the plated cover back up before locking it up.

"What's the raptor on the side mean?"

"That's the name. It's a Ford Raptor, Shelby edition, just came out in 2017" said Yugito, walking around and opening the back door for her. Lapis jumped in and sat down, putting the seatbelt on just like she had in Yugito's car while her two companions joined in. Naruto took the drivers seat while Yugito leaned her seat all the way back and stretched out.

Naruto rolled out of the garage and stopped, watching the door go down before he moved to the end of the street and towards the larger road. He waited as the cars passed by then moved into the far lane, taking the opposite direction Yugito had gone in. This was the way she knew they came from to enter town.

"Are we leaving the town?"

"Yeah, it's just a few minutes past the border. It's a private reserve our sister bought us as a birthday gift about six years ago. We go to relax in a quiet place or train in private since we can't get much of either in the city" said Yugito, closing her eyes as they got onto the freeway. It took nearly an hour but once they were close Lapis could tell. She could see the small lake just past some tree's before they dipped down a hill and Naruto took a turn off road. It got fairly bumpy and tight, nearly hitting a tree or two as the truck slogged through the mud from the rain just a few days ago. They only traveled on there until Naruto stopped at the edge of a clearing where he could see an obvious barricade of black SUV's.

"Yugito."

The blonde woman stretched, bringing her seat up and shrugging "I know, I got a message from our sister a while ago. She said her arrange husband see's it fit they share all property within each other, letting either one use the vacation spots. He doesn't have any but she's got a few, this one is close and much more private than the rest."

Naruto looked to her "That's great and all but why didn't you say anything. I would have held this off a few more days."

She waved him off with a smile "I know! She's made a private contract for me and the pay is putting this in my name! Just gotta get rid of the half a dozen men and make it look like someone hired a hit on him. Mind playing a little for me?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes "What do you have in mind?"

"They know she had siblings, just no names or files on anyone. Pull up, show your id she gave you and act like a brother would. Get friendly for a few minutes, let me set up and once the first falls just take the rest out like we normally do in our infiltration runs."

The taller of the two sighed "Alright, just hurry up. I'll give you a minute to disappear before I pull forward and introduce myself."

"Will do, thanks Naruto!" He only grumbled as she jumped out and opened the tailgate with two clicks of the twin lock. He heard her rummage around, setting up her weapon for a few minutes before shutting the case and closing the tailgate back up. He opened his door when he heard a knock on his window. She handed him a suppressed handgun before Lapis watched her disappear into the woods beside them. She tried to keep eyesight but as soon as she mixed within a patch of tree's she was gone, not a trace was left of her.

"She's gone now" said Lapis to Naruto who was shoving the gun into the back of his shorts.

"I know, I'm just getting ready. Stay in the truck while I'm out here. It's better you aren't around for this" said Naruto.

"But I'm bored" stated Lapis and Naruto sighed for what felt like the tenth time that day. He pulled down a small screen overhead and pushed in one of her camp pine DVDs.

"Watch that while I'm out then, sorry we can't go off just yet. I'll make it quick." Lapis turned to the screen just as he reached back and poked her cheek. She raised her arm to bat away his annoying habit only for his hand to dart down and grab hold of her side. She yelped a little and squirmed as he tickled her side before letting go as she leveled a death glare at him. He smiled brightly in return as he pulled the truck forward and blocked off the only entrance and exit the large SUV's would make it through.

"Lay down in the back and don't open the door for anyone. If me or Yugito needs to get in we'll let ourselves in."

"Whatever."

"Don't be so sour, it was hilarious."

"For you, flashlight." She could see his eye twitched and smirked when he left without another word. But just as the door closed Lapis leaned over the center and looked at him.

"Don't die."

He looked a little irked but she could see the faint smile "They couldn't kill me if they wanted to." With that he shut the door and locked it up as he moved past the two vehicles and towards the camp site. By now it was in full view, not guarded by the turn from the tree line. A small cabin was built, made to sustain by itself mostly. It collected and filtered rain water, solar panels rested on the roof with a converter on the back side. They had wifi out here, due to everyone's jobs but Naruto wasn't a fan of the four men standing outside. The moment the first suited man saw him two stepped forward, the other two keeping a distance while one that held back seemed to report in.

"Sir, this is private property. We need to ask you to turn around please" said the one in front, obviously a woman but she seemed familiar. He'd sworn he'd seen someone with a similar body type, ebony hair pulled back into a pony tail and always wore a damn skirt and heels in any weather. Naruto just couldn't place it with those pitch black shades on.

"Ehhh, why? This is my sisters property" said Naruto with a frown, putting his hands on his hips. Naruto knew there were plenty of regular humans built with bigger muscles than him but his body was built for combat. It was athletic but the scars that showed from the open shirt showed he wasn't just a regular guy.

"We need to see ID then sir." Naruto pulled his wallet out then handed them the ID given, showing his last name to be that of his sisters. Along with a written note signed personally by her taped to the back. The woman reported in with her partner, seeming to have a short conversation before she turned to him and handed him back the ID.

"Sorry for that, Mr. Aino. Mr. Martina wasn't expecting anyone during his trip."

"I wasn't either" said Naruto with a frown, confusing the woman.

"This isn't his property, it's my sister's and her families. Frankly, she'll be unhappy to hear about this when I contact her but for now I need to speak with him. Where is he?"

"On the water, sir."

"On the water? What is he, swimming?" The guard could tell what he was leading to but answered nonetheless. It was her duty after all as part of the covert guard detail for Mrs. Aino to keep track of her arranged marriage spouse until the wedding was finalized.

"He's using the boat, sir."

He strained a smile "Take me too him please."

"Yes sir. You three keep watch here, I'll be back shortly." They nodded and moved back to the porch of the house as Naruto and the guard woman rounded a bend and began to walk downhill towards the boathouse.

"Stop for a moment." She did as asked and looked to him under her shaded glasses. She made no move as he removed them, seeing the dark green eyes, obviously not natural in color.

"One of my sisters personal guard then, she makes them all wear green contacts with a special color code her family knowns. Why are you out here right now?"

"I was sent as an undercover agent to keep track of her new marriage contract and make sure nothing underhanded was happening. We have hints but nothing solid so when I saw you I assumed you were here to sort things out."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose "No, I was here to relax but got dragged into this when we pulled up. Look, forget the boat house for right now, we need to take care of the other three guards at the house first."

"Sir, that's not within my mission require-"

"Under code Valkyrie, I am taking full command until proper connection with your head of department contacts you with further instructions." The woman grabbed her ear piece and ripped it out, crushing it in her hand and tossing it on the ground.

"Yes sir, Mr. Aino. What is my command?"

"Act injured, limp on your leg and put an arm around my neck. I'm going to walk you back up there like you fell in a mud patch and sprained your ankle. Use your knife in your right pocket, I'll take the closet to us from him and use that."

"Yes sir." She tossed an arm over his neck and got into a solid rhythm for a limp as they rounded the corner. Once the cabin was in view Naruto shouted.

"Hey! She fell and hurt herself! I need some help here please!" The three men immediately moved and jogged over to them, careful not to slip themselves in the muddy patches. The first one never saw it coming. Naruto's hand shot out light lightning, crushing his windpipe as the other grabbed the knife from his pocket and kept forward movement. He switched the blade open and shoved it into the second man's chest, dispatching two men in barely second's time. He turned and saw the third man fall, clinging to his bleeding neck as the woman pocketed her knife and looked to him.

"Clean this up quickly, just drag them into the vehicles with me." He grabbed an arm of each of his kills and started to trudge towards one of the SUV's. He let the guard open the back before they picked up each body one by one, setting them in length wise behind the back seat. Once all three were in he shut it and heard a crack of a suppressed weapon firing once, then again and once more in quick succession before it went silence. Naruto looked in the area of the boat dock before his phone went off and he picked it up.

"Hello."

" _Hey, yeah so I got the guards so they wouldn't fire but he moved to behind a tree and I just hit his leg good. He's heading up your way so try to get him alive, yeah? See ya soon!"_ The line went dead and he pocketed his phone.

"Set the basement interrogation up again Karen. We've got a guest to attend to soon."

"Sir, I've been contacted by head office. They wish to talk with you once the situation as calmed down" said Karen, putting her phone back in her pocket.

"That's fine, just get to work. We don't have long." Naruto gave no time for response and moved towards the hill as the black-haired woman took a quick jog towards the basement doors at the side of the house. Naruto took a slow walk, finally taking time to smell the forest and enjoy the scenery. Past the lingering smell of blood, he loved the pine smell here and as he approached the bend he could see the calm waters of the lake a distance away. Ah, what a nice day they'll have after this business is sorted. Right as he thought that Naruto turned left and saw a man hobbling towards him from the forest holding his right thigh. He was dressed in typical boating attire for the rich, a brand new white polo, freshly ironed khaki's and a pair of dress shoes. His hair was slicked back and his olive skin just made Naruto dislike the man. He was a slimly, underhanded boy who did as his parents asked as long as they fed him money. Oh, the blood he spilt to keep his father in power a decade ago was still fresh in his mind. The underworld was a nasty place after all.

"N-Naruto! Help me, please! I've been hit! Someone's out to get me!"

Naruto feigned surprised and rushed to him, tossing an arm over his shoulder "Let's get you somewhere safe." As he brought him up the hill Garry spoke again.

"I didn't expect you here but I'm glad your around! It's a sign of God, I tell you!"

"It certainly is" said Naruto as Garry saw no double meaning behind it as Naruto passed the front door and moved to the side of the house.

"W-where are we-"

"The basement is safer, whoever is out may have inferred technology. If we stay underground we'll have a better chance to hide until they leave. You're guards already went off to get backup."

"Man, you really do think of everything. Your sister was right and soon I'll get to call you a brother-in-law." laughed out Garry as the doors opened.

"Yeeeaaahhh, I don't think so Garry." A second later he was tossed down the small staircase. As the brown-haired man uttered a string of curses tumbling to a stop at the end he tried to stand only to get brought up harshly and slammed down into a chair. Before he could even regain his sight fully from the sudden adjustment of light he felt himself get tied down to a chair.

"What the hell!? What's going-ugh!" He didn't speak anymore when a rag was shoved into his mouth. He saw Naruto standing there, a blonde woman he knew to be his fiancé's sister and one of his guards in the corner near the door.

"Hey buddy! You got away from me earlier" said Yugito with a smile.

"Mphm!"

"Yeah, we found some interesting stuff in that boat you were gonna burn on the lake since the marriage contract was done and over with." His face went pale as a manila folder was waved in his face, the tag reading 'Fu Aino personal.' She handed to Naruto who glanced through it, ignoring Yugito as her hand lit up in blue flames before pressing down hard onto the bleeding wound. The fire burned it shut, along with part of his thigh and he screamed through the rag. Once he seemed to die down Yugito ripped it out then slapped it with him, warning him not to yell or spit at her with a hard look.

"I was told to burn it! My parents made it and forced me into the marriage! I swear!"

"Then why did we get emails and texts showing you begged to marry her by any means necessary, hmm? They seemed adamant to not play games with my dear Fu and now we're here. Five people dead and another just begging to follow their path. You got too greedy, rich boy."

"I didn't! I never did anything! My dad-" He didn't say another word when Naruto slammed a fist into his face, breaking his nose, knocking out a few teeth before he leaned over the man now on his back. Garry knew some of the two blondes, the top security contractor and the top thief in the business. As well being around longer than most people lived in their line of work. Now he was staring into crimson eyes, thin pupils now trained on him and it scared the hell out of him.

"Do as she asks and be happy you're deal with her. I'd rather torture you for a few days before even thinking of letting you go and die after seeing this folder. Just know, your stunt has caught my attention and I'll be speaking to your parents in the future. I helped build the empire they stand on and if they chose to treat my family like this then I'll just as easily watch it burn." Garry said nothing, he could barely breath under the unseen weight on his body before Naruto lifted him back up by his hair. Once he was upright Naruto turned and walked up the stairs, ushering the guard after him before shutting the basement doors. Now, all he could see was the blonde woman dimly light by the lone light from above. Her dark eyes shifted, one blue and another green, her pupils just liker her brothers was for a moment.

"Let's see what we can get out of you now, hmmm?"

* * *

Naruto ushered Lapis out as he and the guard grabbed the bags from the back. She stretched and looked around at the scenery, liking the change from the apartment as she followed the pair into the cabin. It was larger than she thought it was on the outside. It reached rather far back and curved right past a stairwell she couldn't see past. The first room was a large living room, bookshelves to her right and left. In front of the stairwell was a massive L couch and a few recliners off to the side facing a large TV that took up the rest of the left side of the house. At the end she could see two doors side by side and what looked like a table leading off in the right corner. Between the stairs and the table was a large kitchen that seemed brand new and freshly cleaned.

"This is a really nice place compared to that apartment" said the water gem, walking around the downstairs as Naruto showed the woman to set the bags she was carrying in left room down stairs.

"Let's head upstairs, your rooms there."

"Alright." She moved up one flight then turned heel and up a shorter one, reaching a smaller upstairs area. There was a large table here as well but it looked odd, there was a bunch of colored balls resting on top of the green top. Beside it was a set of chairs, a small couch, a decent sized TV against the wall with a book case under it. Naruto showed her behind the chairs, walking into a door and into a large bed room with two huge beds on wood frames. Much nicer than the apartment.

"Your bed is on the left, I'll stay in the right. Yugito likes to sleep downstairs since she's up at odd hours all the time. I'll leave the bags here and you can change if you want, we'll head to the lake soon."

"I'd rather not go near water" said Lapis.

Naruto stopped and turned to her "Lapis, I'm not trying to be rude with this but at some point you need to push past what happened. Yes, it was terrible but you aren't a fusion anymore, your Lapis Lazuli. I won't ask you to get in the water, just hang out on the boat if anything."

She cocked her head to the side "Boat?"

"Yes, the easiest way to describe it is a vehicle built to travel on water without getting you in the water."

She seemed to hesitate before answering "Fine, but don't throw me in. I'll sit in this boat thing for a bit."

Naruto smiled "Awesome! Just put on some beach clothes like Yugito showed and meet me downstairs in an hour. Remember, that's when the little hand moved to a new number."

"I remember, I'm not stupid."

He held his hands up in surrender under her light glare "Just making sure, Lazuli. I'll see you soon." With that he shut the door and headed downstairs to let Lapis sit alone before the left. He figured she'd need to prepare her mind before going back in the water. Being chained by your own decision to hold back a jasper gem would do that to you. As Naruto descended he saw Karen waiting for him at the bottom, a phone in hand.

"They called, asking for you. I put them on hold till you arrived again."

"Thanks, I'll speak to them" he took the call off hold and spoke again "Hello, Naruto speaking."

"It's nice to hear your voice again, Mr. Uzumaki. We haven't seen any contracts come out with your name for a few years so we got worried that you might have gotten injured" said the person on the other line, clearly a man by the sound of his voice.

Naruto scoffed "Sure you did. What did you want to speak to me about? I'll return Karen right now if you need her."

"Her task is done when the marriage contract is voided by the head of the Martina family. For now she need to stay out of sight until such arrangements are made. We apologize for such a call but Mrs. Aino has given us a request for you. She asks you to board one Karen Suttle until we can come to an arrangement with the Martina family." Naruto sat down on the large couch, facing the TV as Karen sat diagonally from him.

"I guess I'll do it if Fu's asking. I need you to deliver her a message for me though. Are we on a secure line?"

"Yes sir."

"After our information gather is complete I'll have Karen contact you if we have new information and a brief on what's transpired at the cabin as well as our plan of action. As of current, myself and Yugito are getting fully involved in this issue to resolve it as quickly as possible due to my connections with the Martina family. Once Karen contacts you, send her what we've given and our plan of action. Thank you, Cyprus."

"Always a pleasure, sir." Naruto brought the phone down and handed to Karen, already ready to pocket the device.

"Are you ok with hanging around here? Last I checked, you had a daughter living with your mother in Empire City."

"I just got called to duty here a week ago after we got wind of some suspicious activity within the Martina household. I'm fine waiting here for a while and I'm sure with you and Mrs. Nii the issue will be resolved quickly."

Naruto leaned back and sighed "I sure hope so."

Forty-Five minutes later

Yugito walked back in, throwing a small hand towel she dried her hands with in the trash as she shut the door with her foot. The blonde noticed her fellow brother and the body guard she knew to be part of Fu's personal set sitting across from one another watching some TV show.

"Done?" asked Naruto, shutting the TV off and turning to look at her.

"Yes, he didn't know much, typical rich son. He agreed to setting up the marriage with his parents by begging and promising to keep away from them for a few years. My guess was to try and separate them from him, look more like a merger marriage and less of a blackmailed one. Fu seemed to believe she could do it alone at first but that folder showed otherwise and we were close by to assist. I do know they're supposed to be scheduling some kind of gathering within the next month as a prep party celebration for the marriage only for interested business parties and high-class families."

"A show off of their wealth before they merge with her company and become even bigger than before. Typical stuff, nothing knew but we'll need a way into the party. I'll get to work on it once we get back to the apartment. I know a few people to get in contact with to make sure I'm in there. Ready for some summer fun?"

Yugito smiled "You know it." As she spoke Lapis walked down wearing a new set of clothes. She had on a black and white bikini top with a white bottom, a long, thin, see through jacket that reached down to her calves and white flip flops.

"Hey! You look amazing in that!" said Naruto, jumping over the couch and tossing her up by the waist earning another death glare.

"Don't you dare tickle me."

"I'd never dream of it" responded the blonde with a bright smile as he set her down and Yugito rested an arm on her shoulder.

"He's right, you do look good wearing that. Nice to see a gem getting into not wearing the same stuff every day for decades." Lapis turned her head away from the two, a little embarrassed from the praise.

"Wanna go too?" Yugito asked Karen and she shook her head.

"I need to make a report phone call and get a few men out here to take care of the SUV we put the mess in."

"Suit yourself, off we go!" Yugito nearly dragged Lapis out the door and down the path with Naruto close behind then duo as they reached boat dock and Lapis saw her first boat. It was oddly shaped and she'd never seen anything like it. All she could even make sense of was the white base with black lining and the large name on the side that said MASTERCRAFT.

"It's nothing fancy but it's big enough to fit plenty of people if we have our family out here. Get going then!"

"I thought they were on this boat" said Naruto as Yugito jumped on, helping Lapis get as she spoke.

"No, they were about to. He just got off the phone near the pier when I opened fire. Everything working?" Naruto turned the key and it fired up with a slight pause, rumbling quietly as they sat in the enclosed boat dock. He ushered Lapis to sit down as Yugito took a seat next to her, just incase she got a little 'sea sick.' Naruto opened the throttle the floating object lurched back and propelled forward into the open area. Lapis only got the see the surroundings blur around her for about a minute before arriving at the center of the small lake.

"You can stay here, me and Yugito are going to swim for a bit. Enjoy the scenery, bask in some sun, yeah?" said Naruto before he put a foot on the ledge of the boat and jumped overboard. A second later Yugito was after him, jumping right where he did in a splash. Lapis sat up, her hands holding one another in her lap before she saw Yugito go sailing out of the water and towards the end of the boat. She laughed as she soared and hit the water as Naruto popped up and swam towards where his sister had landed. Lapis watched for a few minutes, seeing the two enjoy the water and mess around with one another as she stayed on the boat.

The gem clutched her fingers tightly, her brow creasing. She wanted to enjoy it, to jump in and mess around but…..every time she got in her thoughts from Malachite returned. Even sitting in a tub made her feel a little nervous and uneasy. As the minutes passed her resolve began to crack and her hands clutched harder. Tears started to involuntarily form in her eyes and the world around her became a little blurry just as a blonde spikey mop appeared form the back of the boat.

"Hey hey, what's wrong Lapis? What are you crying for?" asked Naruto, kneeling down in front of her, soaking wet. Her frown deepened as her tears began to fall and she spoke.

"I-I want to enjoy the water with you but I'm scared! I'm scared it'll swallow me again and I won't come out this time! I'm a monster! I….I…I enjoyed what I did as Malachite. I forced Jasper to her knees, made her beg and grovel, struggling to exist before we separated. I'm no better than her!" Before she could continue anymore Naruto hugged her tightly and she hugged back. She let her tears fall as she cried softly. The two stayed there long enough for Naruto's top half to dry off before separating.

"So, wanna give it a go?" asked Naruto and she nodded her head, sniffling a little as she did. He smiled and walked her to the edge of the boat before jumping into the water himself while she took off her see through jacket. Yugito swam up to the other side and sat up on the edge of the boat, watching just next to her in case things got…..messy.

"Should I jump in?"

"Do whatever you feel comfortable with" said Yugito, fixing her black bikini top. Lapis hesitated, she held a foot out and Naruto seemed ready to act just before she did the unexpected. She lifted her other leg and splashed into the water before coming up quickly. The first thing she saw was Naruto's smiling visage, mirroring her own.

"Glad to see you joining the part but Yugito has a surprise since you're in the water. Hang on tight!" The gem barley registered the hands wrapping under her arms before she was thrown into the air and over Naruto, easily reaching over the height of the boat before splashing down on her back half a dozen feet from the man she was facing moments ago. Lapis sputtered up, shaking the water from her hair a little and looking back to see Yugito laughing and Naruto with a smile.

"Two can play that game!" She brought her arm up and swiped right, creating a wave that dragged Yugito off the boat and took Naruto with it. Yugito seemed more disturbed, thrashing around at the sudden dip but Naruto braved it quietly before ducking under the water. Yugito poked her head up and looked around like a cat that was surprised, her eyes sharp and scanning for the blonde. A moment later, Lapis was sent soaring even higher and landed just at the edge of the boat thanks to Naruto swimming under and catapulting her from below.

"How'd you get to me so fast!" said Lapis, swinging her hair around to shake some of the water out.

He only held a finger to his mouth "Ninja secret." For the next few hours the three messed around in the water, even getting Lapis to stand on it with Naruto as they tried to throw one another off before Yugito joined in, taking them all over in a tackle. The sun had just begun to set and take away the light as the trio returned the boat to the dock. Naruto made sure everything was secure as Yugito helped Lapis out before they made the trek back up to the cabin.

They all walked in and moved to different rooms to change, each of them getting into casual clothes to lay around the house in before meeting back up in the living room. Karen had already set up the table and moved to make dinner with Naruto jumping in to help. Yugito taught Lapis about the new TV and how to work it before getting her Camp Pine Hearts up and running through the DVD player. Lapis had enough time to finish one episode before food was set in front of them all and they pulled up coffee table to eat.

"So, what's the word?" asked Naruto, taking a bite of his fried fish, something already caught a few months prior but frozen for safe keeping.

"They informed me someone will arrive tonight to pick up the first vehicle and once you leave I am tasked to guard this property while you three move on the Martina house event. The Head of Security has labeled this as a bug out shelter for the time being until the situation has resolved. Four squads will be arriving within 24 hours to set up positions around the property. You are free to ask for whatever information needed before your operation begins but I was told to ask you give a notice on the time and date. They want to be prepared before things turn upside down after all."

"I'll handle all that once we get back, just start setting up your contacts Naruto while I prepare the invites and gather the information we need. I'll create a full timeline on what's going to happen then send it over with a timestamp" said Yugito.

"Do you know who all is going there besides you, Naruto?" asked Lapis, wanting to be included in the conversation she actually found a little intriguing.

"High clearance investors, a few diplomats involved in the underground and probably some other well-known underground families just there as a courtesy. I'll be able to go in and seem as a body guard, I've been hired before and they know my contacts are normally kept secret unless it's obvious or the situation calls for my action."

"You'd still need to be tied to something, or someone. Who are you planning to contract a deal with? Anyone is a risk with this type of situation" said Yugito and Naruto smiled.

"A recent investor who paid a large sum for the induction into the underground world. It's going to be the first public appearance since the donation recently names aren't said until the face to face meeting is arranged. This will be the best place to insure both parties are safe but in the public eye of the world down under as well."

"Who? I wasn't aware of anyone that had donated to the Martina family in the past week."

"That's because it was given just a few hours ago before we met by none other than our very own Lapis, Uzumaki. My significant other as well as my new full time contractor."

"Huh?" was the rooms entire response.

 **Like that, we are finished with a new chapter! I apologize, this story really hit me hard with writers block. I lost all train of thought and frankly, a lot of interest with how it was treated by cartoon network. It's taken me some time to get it back but now I remember why I loved it so much. This isn't a SU only, it's got Naruto and his gang with a twist to things. I'm bringing new things into the mix, showing off a world I'd see in the Nine get involved in. Yes, this part is more or less taking elements from John Wick's underworld style set up but is a little different. I won't get too in depth into the underworld, this isn't meant to make the main story line but to add some new elements into it.**

 **Part of this is to help bring new change to Lapis and her character, showing her these things, getting past her fears and basically thrusting her into a new world that is seemingly endless in its possibilities. In short, new world, new you. This isn't Steven's world where they let her be and she's basically a stick in the mud. She lives her life with Naruto, doing things like this and experiencing all the world has to offer, not the barn and a little beach front town. They will come back though, soon. Ever wonder where the party is held? The party room of a hotel perhaps, one we've seen before? Hmm? Oh well, we'll never know!**

 **You will see more sides of the world, other cities and soon enough more of the Nine as time passes but canon still exists and I'll be incorporating that as well after this little arc to add some fluff to Naruto's world and Lapis' own life. Thanks to everyone who puts up with my erratic uploading style and hopefully with this new job I'll be able to update on a better set up than before. Take care everyone!**


End file.
